Sergio Rendine: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 'Andorrana' (2008)

A browser might conclude, seeing Andorran performers and the subtitle on one of the pieces on this disc, that the compositions performed actually emanated from the small nation of Andorra, in the mountains between Spain and France. It doesn't really; composer Sergio Rendine comes from southern Italy, and his Symphony No. 2, "Andorrana," was commissioned by the Andorran government with the intent of "representing the Principality's natural environment, culture, and traditions." Rendine apparently studied the traditional ... Read More

A browser might conclude, seeing Andorran performers and the subtitle on one of the pieces on this disc, that the compositions performed actually emanated from the small nation of Andorra, in the mountains between Spain and France. It doesn't really; composer Sergio Rendine comes from southern Italy, and his Symphony No. 2, "Andorrana," was commissioned by the Andorran government with the intent of "representing the Principality's natural environment, culture, and traditions." Rendine apparently studied the traditional music of Andorra, which is culturally Catalonian, and extracted one melody for each of the three movements of the work. The substandard booklet notes (in English, Italian, and Catalan) don't say exactly where these tunes appear, and that points to both the strengths and weaknesses of the music. Rendine welds together a plethora of dance tunes in colorful, kinetic scores that hark back to the conservative tonal music of Italy in the early part of the last century. Whichever tunes were the... Read Less